By 
Paul Onwuanibe, the founder of Landmark Africa Group, has shed light on the profound damage caused by the sudden demolition of Landmark Leisure Beach, which obliterated over $30 million worth of investments and disrupted the lives of thousands.
Speaking on Sunday, January 5, Onwuanibe described the financial and emotional impact of the event, which occurred with only seven days’ notice.
“Let’s put this into perspective; Landmark consists of three parts—our business, our leisure, and our lifestyle. What was demolished was our leisure business, a significant part of both our revenue and our physical infrastructure. The initial reaction was shock, and then anger. You go through the five stages of grief—shock, anger, bargaining, concern, and finally acceptance,” he explained.
He detailed how the land for the beach was acquired in 2006 for $17 million and later developed with a $30 million loan obtained from an international lender.
“It was my life’s work—27 years of hunting, farming, and working. Six years ago, we borrowed $30 million to develop that beach. Half of that money was spent on infrastructure you couldn’t even see, like underground drainage, water reticulation systems, and fiber-optic cables. The demolition wiped out six years of investment in six hours,” he said.
The ripple effects extended beyond Landmark, severely impacting thousands of people whose livelihoods depended on the ecosystem created by the beach.
“We had over 1,000 employees and 50 small and medium enterprises directly impacted. Over 4,000 people were employed, and with Nigeria’s dependency factor of 16, the ripple effects are unimaginable,” he added.
He also spoke of the chaos and financial losses endured by the businesses that operated within the demolished facility.
“Many businesses didn’t have time to remove their equipment—TVs, fridges, even furniture. There were guests in the pool when Breeze was being demolished. It was tragic,” he said.
In addition to the destruction of physical assets, services for Landmark’s 160,000 members were abruptly disrupted, causing violations of contracts and financial complications.
“We had 9.2 billion Naira of members’ money in our accounts. There were over 200 contracts—supply of water, fumigation, lifeguard services—all of which had to be renegotiated. Sometimes, you wish there was a natural disaster so you could invoke force majeure, but this wasn’t the case,” he said.
Onwuanibe also highlighted how the surrounding community suffered from the loss of economic activities generated by the beach.
“The guy parking cars on the streets lost his job. The person selling sweets at the gate had no customers. Hotels built outside Landmark that thrived on the four and a half million annual visitors were affected.”
Despite these setbacks, Onwuanibe expressed his determination to rebuild and move forward.
“At some stage, you have to accept it and move on. You either lie down and cry or get up and go,” he said, emphasizing resilience and the importance of learning from adversity.
The demolition occurred in April 2024 following an order by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, who stated that it was necessary because the Landmark centre was situated on the federal government’s Right-of-Way.
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